To Be Loved

You pick one up for the joy of it, for the bells and whistles adorning what is almost always a collection of songs aimed at accentuating the vocals of a very accomplished singer. You pick one up because his happiness is contagious.

This explains why the Canadian singer’s last album, Christmas, did as well as it did. He took something traditional and made it his own, added a couple of new tracks, and sold a few million copies in the process.

To Be Loved follows the same formula, simply replacing Christmas carols with cover versions of well-known songs like Who’s Lovin’ You (by Smokey Robinson), To Love Somebody (by the Bee Gees) and Something Stupid (by Clarence Carson Parks). He adds a couple of original songs and brings in a couple of famous guest vocalists too, like Bryan Adams (After All) and burlesque group The Puppini Sisters (Nevertheless).

The opener, You Make Me Feel So Young, tells you exactly what the album hopes to accomplish. Made popular by a certain Frank Sinatra, it was a crowd-pleaser. The thing is, after a point, all the orchestras and slick delivery starts to grate a little.

It isn’t meaty enough, just a palate cleanser between albums with the potential to stand the test of time. If you like that sort of thing, this is a great collection. Just don’t look for anything other than vocal chops. Think of it as the equivalent of watching a James Bond film — one doesn’t do it for the dialogues.

— To Be Loved, Michael Buble, EMI, Rs 395. Available at leading music stores.